Fried had previously been placed in concussion protocol after unintentionally striking his head against the Queens Citi Field ground.
However, in his first game back from the IL, the Atlanta Braves ace threw a shutout against the New York Mets.He defeated Jacob deGrom, and the Braves defeated New York 3-2 to win the series. Everyone in Truist Park was roused from their chairs by this play by Fried.
Max Fried, the ace of the Atlanta Braves, says he will win the third Gold Glove of the year
Fried is one of the team’s greatest athletes, but he will always be known for winning Game 6 against Houston in October of last year.
Fried probably would have been playing in a big-league outfield someplace if he hadn’t chosen to follow in the footsteps of Sandy Koufax and Clayton Kershaw professionally. He no longer hits walk-off base hits, but he still occasionally flashes the leather.
Fried may just be at his peak in his late 20s, but he is already amassing a long list of individual achievements.
He is currently a 2022 NL All-Star, a two-time Gold Glove winner, the final Silver Slugger pitcher in the Senior Circuit, a two-time Gold Glove winner, and most importantly, a World Series champion. The next thing he needs, after a ring and likely a third Gold Glove this offseason, is a new contract.
Prior to his impending free agency prior to the 2025 MLB season, Fried has two more arbitration years left on his contract with the Braves.
The Braves are the only organization he has ever played for professionally at the big-league level, despite the fact that they did not draft him out of high school. Alex Anthopoulos needs to re-sign Fried as the next marquee player for the Braves after completing a deal with Dansby Swanson.
Simply put, Fried’s heroics on and off the field are what allowed the Braves to defeat the Mets on Thursday.